"Courage is an acquired taste, like caviar." – Erica Jong
The first time someone told me I was courageous, I laughed out loud. I was perhaps the most timid child ever born on this planet. Partly due to childhood illness and partly because of my peculiar psychic abilities, I didn’t act like other children. I didn’t play sports, never learned to ride a bike, and was afraid to go into the water. I stayed to myself, reading, pondering, and talking to spirits. And, I was afraid…a lot.
I remember the conscious decision I made to quit being afraid. I was perhaps 16 at the time and I realized that I could live in fear for the rest of my life or I could develop courage. It was one of those moments of clarity when I realized that I could stay the way I was or I could become who I wanted to be.
The thing with choosing courage is that it does grow on you. Each time I choose to do something outside of my comfort zone, it is easier than the time before. Not that I am not still afraid on occasion, but acting courageously does become a habit. And, I believe that it also helps others to do the same. As Marianne Williamson so eloquently said, "Your playing small does not serve the world."
If there is one personality characteristic that is required to be an intuitive, it is courage. Faith without works may be dead, but so is intuition without action. Getting intuitive information is one thing, but acting on that knowledge takes a leap of courage.
I have trained thousands of people in developing their intuitive skills. All people have them, but for most people they are left latent and unused. Learning a few techniques to tap your inner knowledge is fairly easy. What is more difficult is to take that knowing and use it in your own life. That is where courage comes into play.
The world is much more accepting of intuitives than it was 20 years ago. But it still takes courage to follow your gut and your intuition even when you can’t consciously explain why you are doing so.
The thing with acting on your intuition is that when you do so you may not get proof that you were "right." For example, perhaps you take the same route to work every morning. Then one morning you wake up with a strong intuitive sense that you should drive another way. If you have courage, you will follow that intuition and get to work safely and on time. Of course you will never know what would have happened had you taken your normal route.
Or, you could get that intuitive hit, ignore it and take your usual route, get in an accident, and be able to say, "I knew I should have gone a different way." You now have a good story to tell about intuition.
The thing is, if you trust your intuition and act upon it, you tend to have less good stories and a better life. Intuitive masters need to release their need to be right and have the courage to act on their inner knowing even without verification.
We are entering into a time when courage will be called for and tested. The next few years promise to be exciting, challenging and fun. Remember that courage gets easier the more it is used. It is, indeed, an acquired taste.
